THE MASCOT THEORY – HAND ME DOWN MIRACLES
2014 – Stone After Stone Records
This is The Mascot Theory’s second studio album and as seems to have happened several times recently, at least to albums that have come into my possession, gives the lie to ‘that difficult second album’ cliché! Make no mistake, this band produce some of the best modern day countrified rock anyone could want to hear. I read somewhere that they play ‘Americana tinged alt. folk rock,’ which is probably a pretty accurate description except for the fact that there is more than a tinge of Americana which in fact does move it towards ‘country rock.’ Certainly there is a strong folksy thread that runs through the album although it could perhaps be Erik Kjellands lead vocals that imbue the songs with the folksiness that helps to give the album it’s originality and diversity.
It strikes me as an album that is driven more by the sound than by the lyrics. Don’t get me wrong; the songwriting is tremendous but I suspect that most people, at least on the first few listens, will be hugely impressed by the quite original arrangements that take in folk and country, the excellent lead vocals and possibly above all, the stunning harmonies. At times those harmonies are a match for most bands, at others they are just about peerless! Add the excellence of the just mentioned songwriting and it’s difficult to see how such a talented band can possibly fail to make huge waves in the world of roots music. The lineup of the band is Erik Kjelland on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Nick Fry plays upright bass and harmony vocals, Adam White, lead guitar and harmony vocals and Paul Metz on drums, percussion and harmony vocals, with Eric Kjelland having written all of the songs with the exception of the Gin Blossoms Hey Jealousy.
On this album the percussion and to a degree bass supply much more than just a rock solid foundation as evidenced on My Eyes See, with the pounding percussion joining with fiddle, mandolin and very good lead vocal topped off with some of the best harmonies you will hear. It’s a song that has a strong folksiness, as if an old timey song has been adapted to suit a modern day country rock band, with a very good guitar solo on an already excellent song that is further enhanced by the percussion and those extraordinary harmonies. For me, Monterey is the real showstopper! It is a heartrending story song with a hugely atmospheric arrangement and gorgeous harmonies on a quite spectacularly memorable tale about the experiences of one soldier at the Battle of Monterey. There are again, some excellent percussive moments with acoustic and electric guitars driving this often mesmerizing story to it’s conclusion. I’m A Front Porch has a nice acoustic guitar and fiddle intro before percussion and trumpet join in with banjo on another very good mid tempo song that also includes an excellent deep twangy guitar break. Avalanche Of Fortune is another excellent song with fiddle, steel, guitars, bass and percussion on a terrific lead vocal performance and great harmonies, with banjo plinking away in the background on a mid tempo song that gradually increases it’s dramatic quality. Finally, One Last Train includes some fine chiming guitars on an excellent ballad that includes the usual harmonies alongside Erik Kjellands evocative lead vocal on a song that has a sense of drama that rises and falls rather than staying on the same level, bringing an epic feel to an excellent song that also includes steel guitar and a haunting fiddle.
This is a tremendous album of what I like to think of as country rock plus, but what lifts it into the upper echelons is the breathtaking versatility of their harmonies and the occasional addition of a little brass. Whilst the band oozes talent with their exploration of, and to a degree experimentation with, folksy roots music, those harmonies give everything a further lift. These are highly skilled musicians who very much ‘plough their own furrow’ producing a bunch of songs that, unusually, I’m struggling to compare with anyone else! The arrangements have obviously been given a lot of thought with no attempt at dressing the songs up, ensuring this band have a strong originality with nothing in the mix that is not needed. Musicians this good simply don’t need anything extraneous!
http://themascottheory.com/
This is The Mascot Theory’s second studio album and as seems to have happened several times recently, at least to albums that have come into my possession, gives the lie to ‘that difficult second album’ cliché! Make no mistake, this band produce some of the best modern day countrified rock anyone could want to hear. I read somewhere that they play ‘Americana tinged alt. folk rock,’ which is probably a pretty accurate description except for the fact that there is more than a tinge of Americana which in fact does move it towards ‘country rock.’ Certainly there is a strong folksy thread that runs through the album although it could perhaps be Erik Kjellands lead vocals that imbue the songs with the folksiness that helps to give the album it’s originality and diversity.
It strikes me as an album that is driven more by the sound than by the lyrics. Don’t get me wrong; the songwriting is tremendous but I suspect that most people, at least on the first few listens, will be hugely impressed by the quite original arrangements that take in folk and country, the excellent lead vocals and possibly above all, the stunning harmonies. At times those harmonies are a match for most bands, at others they are just about peerless! Add the excellence of the just mentioned songwriting and it’s difficult to see how such a talented band can possibly fail to make huge waves in the world of roots music. The lineup of the band is Erik Kjelland on lead vocals, acoustic guitar and harmonica, Nick Fry plays upright bass and harmony vocals, Adam White, lead guitar and harmony vocals and Paul Metz on drums, percussion and harmony vocals, with Eric Kjelland having written all of the songs with the exception of the Gin Blossoms Hey Jealousy.
On this album the percussion and to a degree bass supply much more than just a rock solid foundation as evidenced on My Eyes See, with the pounding percussion joining with fiddle, mandolin and very good lead vocal topped off with some of the best harmonies you will hear. It’s a song that has a strong folksiness, as if an old timey song has been adapted to suit a modern day country rock band, with a very good guitar solo on an already excellent song that is further enhanced by the percussion and those extraordinary harmonies. For me, Monterey is the real showstopper! It is a heartrending story song with a hugely atmospheric arrangement and gorgeous harmonies on a quite spectacularly memorable tale about the experiences of one soldier at the Battle of Monterey. There are again, some excellent percussive moments with acoustic and electric guitars driving this often mesmerizing story to it’s conclusion. I’m A Front Porch has a nice acoustic guitar and fiddle intro before percussion and trumpet join in with banjo on another very good mid tempo song that also includes an excellent deep twangy guitar break. Avalanche Of Fortune is another excellent song with fiddle, steel, guitars, bass and percussion on a terrific lead vocal performance and great harmonies, with banjo plinking away in the background on a mid tempo song that gradually increases it’s dramatic quality. Finally, One Last Train includes some fine chiming guitars on an excellent ballad that includes the usual harmonies alongside Erik Kjellands evocative lead vocal on a song that has a sense of drama that rises and falls rather than staying on the same level, bringing an epic feel to an excellent song that also includes steel guitar and a haunting fiddle.
This is a tremendous album of what I like to think of as country rock plus, but what lifts it into the upper echelons is the breathtaking versatility of their harmonies and the occasional addition of a little brass. Whilst the band oozes talent with their exploration of, and to a degree experimentation with, folksy roots music, those harmonies give everything a further lift. These are highly skilled musicians who very much ‘plough their own furrow’ producing a bunch of songs that, unusually, I’m struggling to compare with anyone else! The arrangements have obviously been given a lot of thought with no attempt at dressing the songs up, ensuring this band have a strong originality with nothing in the mix that is not needed. Musicians this good simply don’t need anything extraneous!
http://themascottheory.com/